This invention concerns a transformable and evolving garment obtained from one combination among many possible combinations of a variety of detachable and interchangeable modules, the lower part of which is instantaneously metamorphosable. It also concerns a module for such a garment.
Such garments have numerous applications, because they are suitable in particular for children, for adults, for dolls, and even for domestic animals.
One is familiar with garments made up from several general parts which can be removed or added in order to achieve a transformation of the garment, as described in document FR-A-1 470 315 and FR-A-1 520 507. According to document FR-A-2 307 482, trousers can be transformed into shorts, and vice versa. Document FRA-A-2 567 726 describes a universal garment which can constitute trousers, a jacket or a skirt, according to the wishes of the user. Document FR-A-2 433 913 relates to a concept according to which the various parts of the document, such as sleeves, legs, etc., are detachable.
Document FR-A-2 593 356 proposes a similar garment, presenting a system to camouflage the connections between the detachable parts.
Document FR-A-2 079 865 concerns a garment which is obtained by the association of parts which can be assembled from simple geometrical shapes. This also applies to document WO-A-89/10706, which concerns a garment which can be created using a basic pattern in the form of a diamond ("whose long diagonal is parallel to the main axis of the body"), and completed by means of triangles.
Document WO-A-93/25101 describes a "metamorphosis" system which can be used to alter the external appearance of a given garment. In practice this does not in fact consist of a metamorphosis system, but rather to a simple, rapid alteration in the appearance of the given garment, which avoids the need to remove the whole garment during the change. To this end, the garment has several movable parts (collar, sleeves, etc.) which can be attached simply to a main part. This type of garment is very useful in the entertainment business.
Document FR-A-2 074 752 concerns one basic element "created for the human body", of a tunic type, forming the support for a variety of "variants" which are detachable from the support in order to change the appearance of the final garment. The variants cannot be attached to each other however. Furthermore, although the "variants" are complementary, they do not form part of the basic element.
In other words, all of these documents describe diverse solutions involving the detachability of certain parts, in volume, of a garment (hood, legs, sleeves, etc.), or involving the joining together of simple geometrically shaped parts in order to form one complete piece of abric which can be used to create a garment or the covering for an item of furniture. These proposed solutions never allow a garment to be transformed radically, and/or a garment to be metamorphosed totally, using simple modules made up flat.
It should be pointed out here that the words "metamorphose" or "metamorphosis" are used semantically when there is such a significant change of shape that the initial object is no longer recognisable (e.g. a skirt into trousers, or vice versa).